Ceftriaxone for treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea: routine use of a single 125-mg dose in a sexually transmitted disease clinic

Abstract

We retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of ceftriaxone in a single dose of 125 mg given intramuscularly for treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was eradicated from 152 (99%) of 154 patients who returned for test-of-cure, including all 83 heterosexual men and women and 69 (97%) of 71 homosexual men. Cure was achieved for 109 (99%) of 110 urethral or cervical infections, 52 (98%) of 53 rectal infections, and 15 of 15 pharyngeal infections. All infected sites were cured in 58 additional patients treated with ceftriaxone (125 mg) plus tetracycline (500 mg four times daily for seven days). These results confirm those of earlier clinical trials showing that 125 mg of ceftriaxone is effective therapy for uncomplicated gonorrhea in a geographic area with a high prevalence of gonococci with chromosomally mediated antibiotic resistance.